By Zukile Majova
- Over 1,400 illegal miners have been forced out of abandoned mines by hunger and thirst.
- Police are blocking attempts to bring gold to the surface, affecting families who depend on illegal mining money.
It would appear the police’s Operation Valumgodi against illicit mining is literally also closing the source of living for many families both in South Africa and neighbouring countries
Thousands of families who rely on illegal mining money will have a bleak Christmas this year as police refuse to let miners surface with their gold in Stilfontein, North West.
The police’s Operation Valumgodi has trapped a large amount of gold underground at shafts 10 and 11. Officers are watching day and night to stop the illegal miners, known as zama zamas, from bringing up their gold to sell on the black market.
Police have caught some miners with gold during rescue operations, while others who tried sneaking out at night found officers waiting for them.
This standoff is hitting families hard, not just in the local community but also in the Eastern Cape, Lesotho and Mozambique. Many people make money by supplying the miners with food, drinks and medicine.
These suppliers keep records of what they give the miners, hoping for big payouts monthly or every three months. They often charge the miners more than double the shop price for food.
Underground, the miners work for days to buy food from their bosses using gold. Some say they were expecting big money after working underground for six months to two years without coming up.
But their Christmas earnings are now stuck underground as the police continue their 24-hour watch.
Hunger and thirst have forced more than 1,400 illegal miners to come out of the abandoned mine so far.
Now, a community group is going to the Pretoria High Court on Friday to try to force the government to give food and water to the miners still underground.
Pictured above: Stilfontein mine.
Source: File
